(Photo Courtesy of Ridge Point Lacrosse)

John Galloway and the Jacksonville Dolphins landed their first commitment in the 2022 class on Thursday night, as Ridge Point, Texas, goalie Evan Sharp announced his commitment to the Dolphins. He announced his commitment to the Dolphins via Twitter.

“I really connected well with their coaching staff and core values,” Sharp told Lacrosse Bucket. “They all seem really genuine about their passion for the game and their players, and that’s something that’s really important to me as a player. Also, I feel that their program is on the come up, and will be really good by the time I get there…their campus is beautiful and they have great facilities so that’s just extra on top.”

While recruiting will continue to be in a dead period through January 1st, Sharp stated that he was able to take a virtual visit with the staff and he got out to Jacksonville last Saturday on his own to see the campus.

Head coach John Galloway reached out to Sharp via text on September 1st, which was the first day that college coaches could contact 2022 recruits, and was able to talk on the phone with him later that day. Sharp has also gotten on a Zoom call where he was able to meet the Dolphins’ offensive coordinator Tyler Granelli and defensive coordinator Chris Perzinski. He said he has been in pretty much constant communication with the staff since.

Being a goalie, Sharp says the opportunity to play for Coach Galloway, who is one of the best goalies in the world, is a very exciting one. “He’s obviously very accomplished at the goalie position and once I get there it’s going to be a goal of mine to absorb as much information as I can about not only his play, but also his leadership, and the mentality he brings to the game.His energy and leadership is always something I’ve admired and tried to match,” said Sharp.

A 6-foot-1, 235 pound goalie, Sharp has been an impact player since his freshman season. He was named his team’s MVP in both 2019 and the shortened 2020 season. During the six games that they played during 2020, Sharp posted a 77% save percentage and led THSLL D2 in goals allowed average (3.3).

While the Coronavirus cancelled the high school season and impacted summer lacrosse, Sharp said that he tried to look at the situation in a more positive light. “It gave me a lot more time to work on craft on my own, and I think that really helped to improved my game…Because of quarantine I was able to really amp up the length and level of my workouts, and treat it like a full-time responsibility.”

Coming into his junior season, Sharp said that his main goal is to help lead Ridge Point to a state championship and really push his teammates so that goal can be attainable. “I’m going to have to be really supportive of all the guys in front of me, but I’m also going to have to push them a lot more so that we can get to where we need to be,” Sharp said.